2 first responders killed by gunman using a rifle; ex-convict lay in wait after setting house ablaze

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Police combed the area for the gunman, who was found about 5½ hours later dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

By Matt Flegenheimer
New York Times
December 25, 2012

NEW YORK — Four firefighters were shot — two fatally — after apparently being lured to an early morning blaze Monday in Webster, N.Y., a lakefront town about 12 miles northeast of Rochester, officials said.

The suspected assailant also died there of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the town’s police chief, Gerald L. Pickering, said. “It does appear that it was a trap that was set,’’ he said of the blaze that drew the firefighters about 5:30 a.m.

Pickering said seven homes were destroyed, and the ruins had not yet been searched by late Monday. “We don’t know if there are any additional victims in those homes,’’ he said.

The gunman was identified as William Spengler, 62, who lived at 191 Lake Road, where the fire began, and had served about 18 years in prison for killing his grandmother, the police chief said. Officials said he was imprisoned until 1998 and had remained on supervised parole until 2006.

Pickering said a Webster police officer exchanged ‘‘very brief’’ gunfire with Spengler and ‘‘in all likelihood saved many lives.’’ But, he said, authorities scoured the area for hours trying to locate the gunman before he was found dead about 11 a.m.

As for whether someone else might have been in the burned house where Spengler lived, Pickering said that ‘‘it is possible that a sister of Mr. Spengler is unaccounted for.’’

He said ‘‘at least a rifle was used’’ by Spengler to fire at the first responders. He noted that as a felon, Spengler was not authorized to possess weapons.

The firefighters were from the West Webster Fire Department, about 4 miles from the blaze, and were believed to be volunteers. One of the firefighters was able to flee on his own, Pickering said. ‘‘The other three were pinned down at the location.’’

As Pickering recited the names of those killed and wounded, he repeatedly choked up. One of the deceased, Michael J. Chiapperini, was a police lieutenant in the Webster Police Department; the other, Tomasz Kaczowka, was a 911 dispatcher for Monroe County.

‘‘These people get up in the middle of the night to go put out fires,’’ he said. ‘‘They don’t expect to be shot and killed.’’

John Ritter, an off-duty police officer from Greece, N.Y., who happened to be driving by and stopped to help, suffered shrapnel wounds from the shooting, Pickering added. The firefighters who were injured were identified as Joseph Hofstetter and Theodore Scardino.

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said the State Police and the Office of Emergency Management were working with local officials. He said Webster firefighters and police had initially responded to a car fire.

‘‘New York’s first responders are true heroes as they time and again selflessly rush toward danger in order to keep our families and communities safe,’’ Cuomo said. ‘‘Volunteer firefighters and police officers were injured and two were taken from us as they once again answered the call of duty. We as the community of New York mourn their loss as now two more families must spend the holidays without their loved ones.’’

The fire continued to burn through the morning, spreading to several homes, before being brought under control.

Pickering added that, with authorities establishing and investigating the crime scene, ‘‘it took a while to make it safe’’ for firefighters to move in and combat the flames.

The site of the fire runs along a narrow spit of land that divides Lake Ontario from Irondequoit Bay. The houses in the affected area are detached wood frame homes with yards, across the street from the lake.

Pickering likened the area to ‘‘a little vacation nest’’ and said police have very few calls to the area.

Michael D’Amico, a contractor who has lived on Lake Road for 20 years, said that residents were taken to a school. “We still can’t go back,’’ he said.

The area is home to many summer houses, he said, but some people lived there year-round.

‘‘A lot of times I get woken up by gunfire, but I don’t think too much of it,’’ D’Amico said, noting that the area often attracted duck hunters. ‘‘Usually the gunfire comes from the lake or the bay. This was from further down the road.’’

At West Webster Fire Station 1, there were at least 20 bouquets on a bench in front and a bouquet of roses with three gold-and-white ribbons saying, ‘‘May they rest in peace,’’ ‘’In the line of duty’’ and ‘‘In memory of our fallen brothers.’’

A handwritten sign read, ‘‘Thanks for protecting us, RIP.’’ Two candles were lit to honor the dead. A memorial vigil was held Monday evening.

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